About Me

I was a reporter and columnist for 40 years for a chain of newspapers in the suburbs of Chicago. I'm a military veteran having served in the United States Army Combat Engineers (Cpl. E-4) and a Korean War veteran with an Honorable Discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States of America

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The Pentagon has released this video showing how American air strikes erred and instead of taking out Taliban fighters hit civilians.WARNING: Some of the scenes in this video are very gruesome.;TURN UP YOUR SOUNDWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/fd_qcnvjOFk&hl=en_US&fs=1CLICK ON LINK ABOVE AND THEN DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

Watch and listen as an Apache from the 82nd Airborne blasts Taliban who are planting roadside bombs in Afghanistan.TURN UP YOUR SOUNDWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/1pzXmcdMJUk&hl=en_US&fs=1CLICK ON LINK ABOVE AND THEN DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

This video is a composite of shots and some footage put together as a tribute to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The song is "Say Goodbye" sung by Chris Brown.TURN UP YOUR SOUNDWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/lALTAlaHN24&hl=en_US&fs=1CLICK ON LINK ABOVE AND THEN DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

Life can be hard for a soldier returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Show them compassion and be patient with them.This video tells what a soldier goes through when he returns home.TURN UP YOUR SOUNDWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/IGHtMPJ3KtA&hl=en_US&fs=1CLICK ON LINK ABOVE AND THEN DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

This video shows a unit from the U.S. Army in a dramatic firefight with the Taliban somewhere in Afghanistan.WARNING: Strong languageTURN UP YOUR VOLUMEWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/T44iPzB1jQg&hl=en_US&fs=1CLICK ON LINK ABOVE AND THEN DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

Last year, Gen. Stanley McChrystal implemented strict new rules limiting the use of air power and restricting the troops ability to fire on insurgents unless they were certain no civilians were in harm’s way.

Despite the new rules, Afghans civilian deaths have continued mount. Though a recent UN report says that the number of Afghans killed by coalitions troops has been reduced.

The recent civilian deaths, which provoked large protests in Kandahar city Monday, could not have come at a worse time for coalition commanders. US and Afghan officials are actively trying to persuade skeptical tribal elders to support the upcoming offensive in Kandahar – and tensions were already high before the bus shooting.According to several US officials who spoke to Fox News on the condition of anonymity, the mandatory review is a direct response to the growing concern that “additional civilian deaths will undermine the upcoming NATO offensive in Kandahar.”

Earlier this spring, Gen. McChrystal told coalition troops that most of the shootings at military check points were unnecessary, and urged troops to use more caution when making decisions to fire.